Lead Recycling vs Auto Alt-Number Dialing: Two Different Retry Tools

Both lead recycling and auto alt-number dialing exist to squeeze more contacts out of the same leads, and people mix them up constantly. They are not the same feature, they fire under different conditions, and using one when you meant the other gets you results you did not expect. Here is the clean split.

Recycling re-dials the same phone number after a wait. Auto alt-number dialing reaches for a different number on the same lead. One is about time, the other is about which number.

Lead recycling: same number, later

Campaign Lead recycling lets you call specific statuses of leads again at a set interval without resetting the whole list. You define an attempt delay, the number of seconds before the lead can go back in the hopper, which must be at least 120 seconds, and an attempt maximum, the number of times a lead of that status can be retried, from 1 to 10, before the list needs a reset.

It is best suited to Busy, or B status, leads, where the line was simply tied up and a short wait makes sense. When a recycled lead's target time hits, it jumps to the front of the Hopper ahead of other leads, so a recycle queue can crowd out fresh dialing if you set it too aggressively. It is not built for delays of several days.

Auto alt-number dialing: other numbers, now

Auto alt-number dialing works on the same lead's other contact numbers. When the field is set to anything but NONE, leads dispositioned under the chosen auto alt dial statuses get their Alternate phone number and address3 fields dialed after those no-answer statuses are set. The campaign's Auto-Alt-Dial setting also has to be enabled for any of this to fire.

There is a threshold too. The Auto Alt Threshold Override caps how many attempts a lead can get before alt dialing stops and only the main number is called. You can set that per list to overrule the campaign value. So instead of beating the same number, you try a second or third number the lead gave you, which is often where you actually reach someone.

Side by side

flowchart TD
  A[Call ends with a result] --> B{Which retry tool?}
  B -->|Busy, want same number later| C[Lead recycling]
  C --> D[Wait attempt delay]
  D --> E[Re-dial same number]
  B -->|No answer, try other numbers| F[Auto alt-number dialing]
  F --> G[Dial alt_phone or address3]

The deciding question is whether you believe the number is fine and the timing was wrong, in which case recycle, or whether the number itself is a dead end and you want to try another, in which case auto alt dial. They can coexist, but they answer different problems.

Picking the right one

• Lots of Busy results: recycling, with a small attempt maximum and a sane delay.
• Leads with multiple numbers and weak main-number contact: auto alt-number dialing.
• Both apply: enable each for its own statuses, and watch the Disposition mix so you can tell which one is doing the work.

For deeper setup, see campaign lead recycling and the auto alt threshold override.

Both tools live inside the wider list and lead lifecycle in our lists and leads guide. And if you would rather run these on a dialer that is already secured and tuned, VICIfast provisions one in under 40 seconds. See the plans.